Shedding reluctance, SC agrees to open courtrooms to cameras

NO AUDIO INITIALLY, NO RTI EITHER

AFTER YEARS of reluctance, the judiciary has finally allowed cameras to enter its courtrooms.

The Supreme Court has ordered installation of CCTV cameras — without audio recording — at least in two districts in all states and union territories to record court proceedings.

In an unprecedented order by the apex judiciary, a bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and Uday U Lalit directed 24 high courts across the country to make sure district and sessions courts in a minimum of two districts in every state and union territories have CCTV cameras installed inside courtrooms and also in the court precincts within three months.

The order on the judicial side has come following several rounds of deliberations between the Central government and the top judiciary on the issue of audio-video recording of court proceedings. Since August 2013, Union Law Ministers have written to the then Chief Justices of India at least thrice to consider recording the court proceedings in the interest of transparency and better case management.

But the Supreme Court judges have demonstrated reluctance with the latest communication in August 2016 telling the government that the judges felt a “wider consultation” was necessary before a final decision. Not just this, many PILS demanding audio-video recording of proceedings had also been dismissed in the past even though Law Commissions have made recommendations favouring audio-video recording.

However, the two-judge bench decided to take the historic step Friday while observing